Issaquah Cub White football team wins title

November 17, 2010

By Staff

Garrett White (96) runs the ball to score one of three touchdowns. Contributed

NEW — 9:30 a.m. Nov. 17, 2010

The undefeated Issaquah Cub White football team dominated the previously unbeaten Wolverine Cub Blue 26-7 Nov. 13 on their way to the Greater Eastside Junior Football Association title at Pop Kenney Stadium.

It was the first GEJFA championship for an Issaquah team since 2005. The Cubs, under coach Jeremy Noble, finished the year 11-0, outscoring their opponents 303-19.

Garrett White led the Issaquah Cub White team in the title game with 9 carries for 202 yards, including scoring touchdown runs of 53, 73, and 62 yards, along with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Rashon Evans.

“This is a huge accomplishment for the boys,” Noble said after the game. “The Issaquah program has not had a league champion since 2005. I am very proud of how they did this year.”

After the opening onside kick off by Bellevue put the ball at the Issaquah 47 yard line, on the first play from scrimmage, White took a pitch from quarterback Payton Pearson and followed lead blocks by fullback Bain Johnson and tight end Kaleb Solusod around the right end and out ran the Wolverine Blue defenders down the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown to put Issaquah up 6-0 right off the bat.

Wolverine Blue mounted an impressive, powerful 12-play, 82-yard drive that resulted in a Trevor Pool four-yard touchdown run and extra point to put the Wolverines up 7-6.

On the next possession, with Issaquah facing a fourth and long, White took the pitch and rolling to his left behind solid protection from offensive linemen Gaiden Morrison, Simeon Hawkins, and Kyle Jasman found Rashon Evans on a halfback pass that Evans caught at the 30 and out raced two Wolverine defenders for the score to put Issaquah up for good at 12-7.

The Issaquah defense tightened up and held Wolverine Blue on downs their next possession. On fourth and 21, Issaquah went to their spread offense and on the quarterback keeper, White weaved his way down the right sideline 73 yards for the touchdown.

“We played very well starting from the very beginning,” Noble said. “The TD on the very first play of the game was a nice thing to have. I think Bellevue may have underestimated how fast and physical our team was.”

Wolverine Blue came out after halftime looking to continue their powerful style of offense, but Issaquah defensive coach Kaleo Nihipali made some adjustments at halftime and Bellevue’s first possessions stalled at Issaquah’s 32 yard line on a sack by defensive end Jack Thompson.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, White took the pitch from Person, and burst behind solid blocking from linemen Jackson Rubin and Isaiah Baker, then cut between two solid blocks from Solusad and Porter, made one move to the inside, and then sprinted down the sideline for a 62-yard touchdown run to end the scoring at 26-7.

The Issaquah defense had solid play in the fourth quarter from defensive linemen Cole Goree, Jedei Morrison and Derek Fletcher, linebackers Jared Humenny and Jonathan Melrose, along with interceptions by White and Johnson to put the game away.

“Even though the score at half time was 20-7, I was very impressed that the boys came out after half time and continued to play very hard,” Noble said. “They never let up. That is one attribute that I really enjoyed about this team — they played hard all four quarters, every game.”